Lock Up
by Jenye
Summary: Gale Hawthorne is sentenced to death for a crime he swears he didn't commit. After exhausting all other options, Peeta Mellark gets himself tossed into the very place he spent his whole life trying to avoid. Government conspiracy got Gale into prison. His little brother has a plan to break him out.


**Author's Note: **This is going to be a long one. *deep breath* Okay, can you guys tell I've had some time off work recently? Haha, all this posting going on you guys are going to think I've gone mad. Anyway, this is the other story I was telling you all about in my last note on Lone Star State of Mine. It's so totally different from LSSoM. And I kind of love it. Of course, if you guys couldn't tell this story was inspired by one of my favorite shows: _Prison Break_. But I'm keeping it in The Hunger Games realm. I've kind of twisted the Capitol's justice system to be kind of like what we have here in the U.S. with some creative liberties added along the way. And don't worry, just because you know how Prison Break ends doesn't mean you know my story - like I said, _inspired_. Not completely like it. This outline is so crazy detailed and there is so much going on in this story, but I think I'm going to like it.

I'm posting the prologue to see if you guys are actually interested in reading something like this? Don't worry, it will be Everlark in the future - I've just got some plot developing to do. And the prologue doesn't even begin to touch on all of it. And I'm super nervous about all of this because it is so different and I'm not even sure anyone would be interested in it..so be honest.

Oh & right now I haven't asked Ivory to beta this. One, because she is so insanely busy. And two, because I'm not even sure I'll continue it. It all depends on what you guys think. So if you find any mistakes(and I know you probably will) they're all mine.

**One more thing:** please note that some character relationships have(obviously) been changed for this story. For example; Peeta & Gale are half brothers. You'll also see others throughout the story.

Okay now, enjoy!

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**Summary:** Gale Hawthorne is sentenced to death for a crime he swears he didn't commit. After exhausting all other options, Peeta Mellark gets himself tossed into the very place he spent his whole life trying to avoid. Gale has always done what he could to make sure Peeta never followed in the same footsteps as he did. But blood is thicker than bars and Government conspiracy got Gale into prison. His little brother has a plan to break him out.

* * *

**Lock Up  
****Prologue: Sentenced**

_June 2012_

The verdict was rumored before it was confirmed. He heard it everywhere he went. The hushed whispers in The Hub where Gale used to trade. The pitiful stares as he walked home. The overly friendly attitudes of everyone that walked through the bakery. And the sudden silences were always the worse. He would rather overhear the gruesome details of someone who thought they understand the crime than the eerie silence that followed whenever he walked into an establishment without notice.

But even still, that was all better than the original out pour of sympathy he received when it all happened. Everywhere he went he was stopped for a long lecture on staying positive or a simple pat on the shoulder. Business at the bakery had shot through the roof and he couldn't help but bitterly think it was ironic. The one time he could truly use his brother's terrible hand in the kitchen he wasn't there. Sooner or later the sympathy dried up, because this was District 12. Everyone had suffered some sort of tragic loss. The District would rally around them for a short time, but then everyone was expected to pick themselves up and go on.

And he did go on. As did everyone else, but this was different. This was too big of a story to just forget about. Especially when the Capitol aired its details almost continuously. So it wasn't really moving on as much as it was drowning it all out. He learned to focus on the mundane; kneading dough, making dinner, sharpening pencils, fixing the leak in the living room. Anything to stop him from remembering just how out of hand everything had gotten.

But today it would all change. There would no longer be any guessing. There would no longer be any assuming. There would only be the undeniable truth; he would either be a free man or sentenced to a life in the ugliest part of the Capitol. Forever away from his small family. Forever away from the outdoors. Forever away from reach. Forever away.

He couldn't think like that. He didn't have the luxury of thinking like that. None of them did.

The minutes had drug on all day, but finally he slid the key into the rusted lock and walked away from the bakery. His walk was quick and determined. Normally he made it a point to acknowledge the few other shop owners leaving their businesses, but today he didn't even glance in their direction. And he doubted any of them noticed his absent behavior. They all knew, as well as he did, what today was. In fact, they were probably racing home for the very same reason.

* * *

_September 2010_

His heart raced as quickly as his footsteps. His eyes had tunnel vision as he made his way toward the Justice Building. They couldn't have their story right. Gale was supposed to be in the mines all day, and even if he wasn't he wouldn't be at the Justice Building. He had no reason to be there. Peeta tried to reason a dozen different excuses as to why Gale's name would be mentioned in such a tale, but each one was more absurd than the last.

The crowd was already gathered around the doors and the Peacekeepers were all standing around. They were trying to keep everyone was from rushing in. Peeta slowed his run as he eyes frantically began to look from face to face. He was looking for Gale. If he was standing amidst the crowd than everything he'd heard would have been a wild mistake. A mistake that people rarely made in District 12.

"Peeta! Peeta!" A female voice cried, bringing his attention to the left of him.

Johanna's usual steel features were frantic and creased. She pushed through the crowd until she was in reach of him. Her first instinct was to reach for him, wrap her arms around his neck and pull him into a relieved hug. Peeta responded instantly, needing some familiarity in the chaos and uncertainty of this situation. His eyes still continued to search the crowd. He still held onto the lingering hope that Gale was going to be right behind her.

When he pulled her away he looked down into her wide brown eyes. His hands were on her shoulders, her hands were holding onto his forearms. She looked like she had been crying. Johanna crying? She knew more than he did. That realization made his stomach drop.

"Jo, what's happened?" Peeta begged, "Where is Gale?"

"I – I –" Johanna stammered, "He's inside."

"_Why_ is he in there?" Peeta demanded, desperate for answers.

He dropped his hands from her shoulder and faced toward the doors again. Gale was the last person he'd expect to be anywhere near the political building. He hated everything that building stood for. He continually made it known how much he thought the Capitol needed to loosen their grip on the districts. Most just took his ramblings for an overworked young man with too much hurt in his past to see anything but the oppression that was their government. Peeta swallowed hard, his thoughts now going back to the reports on the news that morning.

There were rumors of a rebellion.

Peeta blindly reached for Johanna's hand and started pulling her through the crowds of people. They were all talking, all trying their best to figure out what was happening. Some were boosting that they'd seen the whole thing, but never mentioning what "the whole thing" was. Others were grumbling about how the Peacekeepers were more like babysitters. And then Peeta would hear _his_ name mentioned in a broken sentence.

He was nearly at the front of the crowd when hand reached for his shoulder and his eyes landed on a familiar, quiet blonde.

"Madge, what's happening?" Peeta asked, again hoping someone had answers.

"Mathias Snow – he's dead." Madge practically had to yell over how loud the crowds had become.

Mathias Snow, Head Peacekeeper, was a target from day one when he showed up here. Not only was he unashamedly harsh to any and all who threatened the run of things, but he was also the nephew of the districts' most hated man. Fortunately for him, and other Capitol citizens like him, most of those that lived in the districts had been beat down for so many years that their urge to fight had been reduced to nothing more than a tingling annoyance. But there were a few that still spit at their heels and spoke loudly about their hatred for those the Peacekeepers allied themselves with.

Gale was one of them.

When they were younger Peeta used to warn his older brother. Used to remind him of how people had a way of disappearing when the Capitol thought they were getting out of line. How there were even some in Capitol Lock for their tyrants about the ugliness that was the Capitol. Gale never listened because he never listened to anyone. And therefore Peeta had stopped trying. Gale was a lone island. He was a one-man army. He didn't need anyone to stand up beside him because he was fighting for what was right. He never quite understood that what was _good_ wasn't good enough in this world. In this world it came down to who had the power.

And President Snow had that power.

The acid churned in Peeta's stomach as he watched Madge's lips move, but his mind was too focused on the "what-ifs." Did they really think Gale had something to do with Mathias' death? They couldn't possibly he was capable. Sure, he could get a bit animated, but he wouldn't kill a man just to prove his point. He was against President Snow; he sure as hell wasn't like him.

"They've locked down the building." Madge continues. "I didn't see anything, but several have said Gale was rushed inside soon after he pulled a knife."

"A _knife_?" Peeta questioned in disbelief. "Do you actually think Gale is dumb enough to pull a knife on a Capitol official? They would have killed him on the spot!"

Madge's eyes went wide at how angry Peeta became. Johanna clung to Peeta's arm as if to keep herself from becoming a puddle on the ground. Her free hand hung over her mouth in shock. Peeta was about to demand more from Madge, but the crowd suddenly fell silent as the doors to Justice Building flew open and seconds later a small Capitol transporter appeared above like a dark cloud.

Peacekeepers filed out of the building, creating a pathway in the crowd. The transporter lowered itself to the ground. People were beginning to whisper to one another, but Peeta's voice and air were long lost when he saw two more Peacekeepers walking out of the building with a struggling man between them. He was in restraints, but doing everything in his power to free himself. His cries of innocence could be heard over the low buzz of people.

He couldn't resist, he threw himself through the crowd to the front line just behind the Peacekeepers. Johanna was close behind him.

"Gale!" He screamed above the crowds and engine sounds.

Gale's eyes instantly found Peeta and he almost looked slightly relieved. Peeta wanted nothing more than to break through, but once the Peacekeepers realized who he was, they kept a strong hold on his shoulder to keep him in the crowd.

"Peeta," Gale called, still being lead to the transporter. "I didn't do this. I swear I didn't do this."

Peeta's jaw clenched, "It'll all get worked out. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding."

He knew better. He knew his brother better than that. Gale may not have killed Peacekeeper Snow, but he knew more than he'd ever let on. Gale's eyes didn't leave his even after he'd walked past him. He started to struggle to turn back, but the Peacekeepers holding his arms continued to pull him forward.

Johanna pushed herself forward to get a better look at Gale, her own voice calling over the crowd toward him. When he saw her his features turned tragic. It was if he suddenly realized all he was leaving behind. She was no longer crying, but her features were red from all she'd done earlier. She knew Gale didn't need to see her breaking down. Johanna was a fighter and her husband knew that. She needed to be that fighter for him now.

"I love you." He called, barely audible.

Johanna didn't have a chance to respond before he was loaded onto the transporter. Fortunately Peeta was right beside her because as soon as the doors closed she lost all ability to stand. His strong arms wrapped around her waist from behind as her hands covered her face. Now the tears ran freely again. Peeta let her weight pull them both down toward the ground, leaving her in nothing but a crumpled mess on the ground. Peeta's arm around her.

The crowd began to disperse almost as soon as the transporter began to lift off the ground. The Peacekeepers began to push them all back toward their lives. Everyone who walked past him and Johanna gave such sorrowful looks, but soon enough they were left almost alone in the dusty streets of District 12. When Johanna's sobs began to subside, Peeta slowly helped her to her feet and they silent started toward their home.

He wrapped a steadying arm around her waist and placed a kiss atop her head, "We'll get him out."

* * *

_June 2012_

The house is completely dark when Peeta reaches the porch. He knows she must be in the back room staring anxiously at their small, old television. She's probably sent Rory to play with a neighbor, not waiting him to ever see his father this way. Peeta respects that about Johanna, she wears the weight of a thousand men on her shoulders and she's still able to shelter her child. She's the mother Peeta never had and for that he's awed by her actions.

"Peeta? Is that you?" Her voice easily travels through the tiny home as he opens the front door.

"Yeah, it's me." Peeta calls back, "I brought home leftover pie and honey rolls."

He knows she doesn't care. He doesn't even care, but it's something to fill the tense moments they're living in. That's the majority of the existence these past few years. They talk about their neighbors' gardens, the profitability of all the sweets Peeta makes, and anything that should interest them. None of it does, because at the end of the day they both have a void in their existence.

Most of their nights are spent re-watching any news report on Gale's trial process. The fact that he is being accused with such a high profile murder is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because they get to see him everyone once in awhile. They try not to notice he's thinner and the strength that once reflected in his eyes is now gone. They try to focus on the fact that he's alive. The curse is that every piece more that is added to his "due process" is nothing but incriminating. None of it makes sense to Peeta, but no one in the Capitol is interested in what actually happened. They want someone to pay.

And for that reason, Peeta knows this verdict is not going to go in their favor. On his darkest days he believes Gale will get life in Capitol Lock; that he'll be restricted to a solitary cell and never allowed to see another living soul. Not even allowed to receive correspondence. But he quickly forces those thoughts from his mind because so far Gale has been allowed to write to them. Rumor has it he can even have visitors, but it's not like they have the type of money it takes to make a trip to the Capitol. Maybe he'll even have a chance for parole one day.

Maybe.

"You missed it." Johanna comments drily, "President Snow just gave a touching plea for justice."

Peeta shakes his head and takes a seat on the tattered couch next to her. He rests his elbows on his knees and watches the television in silence. Right now they are simply recapping the entire case while the "jury" discusses his future. He knows the jury is a group hand selected by the President himself to look like unbiased individuals, but no one in the Capitol is unbiased. They all support the President whole-heartedly and an attack on his blood is like an attack on him.

Gale is completely sunk.

"Do you want some soup? I made it for Rory before he left to go over to see James." Johanna offers, needing something to talk about.

"Um, no. Thanks. I'll eat it a little while."

That's a lie. He can't even imagine having an appetite right now.

"And it looks like the jury has returned," Reporter Effie Trinket seems far to excited to be reporting on a man's murder trial. "Lets go back into the courtroom to hear the verdict."

Johanna reaches for Peeta's hand as they both sit on the edge of their seats. A tall man stands up from his spot on the jury, holding a piece of paper. The judge asks him to read their decision.

"We the jury find Gale Hawthorne guilty of murder in the first degree."

Johanna's quiet sobs begin as Peeta continues to stare hard at the screen, but the worst has yet to come.

"We sentence Gale Hawthorne to death."


End file.
